The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has reacted to the participation in the "parade" on Red Square in Moscow of the prime minister of Armenia, the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko noted that during the event, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is wanted by international justice for war crimes, justified the killing of Ukrainians, the destruction of Ukrainian towns and villages, the abduction of Ukrainian children and repression of residents of the occupied Ukrainian territories.
In addition, on the night before the "parade", Russia fired 25 cruise missiles at Ukraine, including 15 at Kyiv. Russian military equipment involved in the war against Ukraine was demonstrated to the participants.
"We consider the participation of the leaders of these foreign states in a public event alongside a war criminal who boasts of unleashing a war in Europe on a scale unknown since World War Two as an immoral and unfriendly step towards Ukraine, a manifestation of contempt for the Ukrainian people who are fighting for their survival and freedom," Nikolenko said.
He added that the peoples of Central Asia and the Caucasus made an invaluable contribution to the victory over Nazism 78 years ago.
"They do not deserve the fate of being used by the Kremlin to participate in a fake event that has nothing to do with the victory over Nazism," Nikolenko said.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who considers himself the president of Belarus, also attended the parade in Moscow.